WHAT THE FLAG MEANS
A design overview.
There have been numerous attempts to design a flag for Appalachia (or the people of Appalachia). This is my take. Appalachia is a region of the United States that include 420 counties in the mountainous area west of the US' eastern seaboard. It has a historically unique culture and identity that transcends state and other regional boundaries.
The flag Theodore has designed is based on a common quilting pattern. While having more than 3 colors is generally discouraged in flag design principles, Theodore wanted to stay true to the multi-colored designs of these quilts. The 8-pointed star each represents an important feature of Appalachia, and the center triangles represent the mountains.
THE COLORS
It's hard to represent all of Appalachia in one symbol, but this design highlights some of the most important and defining features using colors.
Orange
The orange represents the native people of Appalachia, which includes the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Coosa, and others.
Sky blue
The sky blue represents Appalachia's earliest European colonizers, most of whom were Scottish or Ulster Scots/Scots-Irish.
blue
The blue represents a uniquely American identity of the Appalachian people.
Red
The red represents laborers and labor movements past and present of Appalachia. Labor is the backbone of the region.
Black
The black represents the coal industry and miners that toiled to power the country.
Gold
The gold represents the steel, iron, and other industries and workers that provided materials to build just about everything.
Purple
The purple represents the religion of Appalachian folks.
brown
The brown represents the music, literature, art and culture of Appalachia.
Orange
The orange represents the native people of Appalachia, which includes the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Coosa, and others.
Sky blue
The sky blue represents Appalachia's earliest European colonizers, most of whom were Scottish or Ulster Scots/Scots-Irish.
blue
The blue represents a uniquely American identity of the Appalachian people.
Red
The red represents laborers and labor movements past and present of Appalachia. Labor is the backbone of the region.
white
The white that forms the flag itself represents our future. We still have a lot of places and time to continue to redefine our region.
Forest green
Forest green represents the woods and mountains that we call home and the nature that provides us with our way of life. We must continue to be good stewards of it.